Sustainable Agricultural Model Research Articles

English

This study is based on a review of the literature that analyses the repercussions of the principal public policies established for the promotion of the family farming sector in Brazil. In this review, the processes that have contributed to the establishment of these policies are assessed critically, together with their mechanisms and the connections for the evaluation of their contributions to the promotion of sustainable production systems. The review was based on a wide range of sources, including books, journals, and other scientific papers, in particular those published by the principal authors in this field, in addition to the databases of Brazilian governmental institutions. The analysis focuses primarily on the National Program for Strengthening Family Farming (PRONAF), the baseline for all other policies, as well as the recently-established Technical Assistance and Rural Extension Policy (PNATER), and the government food purchasing programmes. Despite advances, a number of important limitations were found, in particular in relation to credit programmes and the Technical Assistance and Rural Extension, for the development of models of sustainable agriculture. Overall, many of the mechanisms found in the policies analyzed are oriented towards conventional production systems, which cause socio-environmental impacts that contradict the goals of sustainable rural development. Key words: Agro-ecology, rural development, agricultural policy.

The structure of mental models of sustainable agriculture

Progress towards sustainability is hampered by differing perceptions of how to advance goals in systems characterized by massive interdependency. Systems thinking has been advocated as a model for improving understanding and management of complex systems, but theory and methods to analyse systems thinking are not well developed. We propose and apply a new way of assessing systems thinking using social network tools to analyse mental models. We examine the cognitive maps of 148 thought leaders in sustainable agriculture in California and measure the extent to which each map captures six fundamental causal patterns. We find that the more complex forms of causal structure that are associated with systems thinking are relatively under-represented in the experts’ maps. Our findings have important implications for individual and collective decision making about sustainable agriculture and other science and policy debates involving complex systems. Cognitive mapping reveals how people think about complex systems and enables hypothesis tests on understanding interdependency. This study finds that education and experience are associated with more nuanced form of complex-systems thinking in sustainable agriculture, such as feedback loops and indirect effects.

Plant\u2013Rhizobium symbiosis, seed nutraceuticals, and waste quality for energy production of Vicia faba L. as affected by crop management

BackgroundBroad bean fits sustainable agriculture model due to symbiosis with Rhizobium, the seeds being a good source of energy, proteins, polyphenols, and fiber. The large amount of broad bean biomass residues can be employed for biofuel production, thus valorizing the overall production process. This research was aimed to investigate on the effects of farming management, such as greenhouse cultivation and appropriate planting time on the qualities of broad bean seeds and residual biomass for conversion into biofuel. The related balances of energy gain associated to both ethanol yield and nitrogen fertilizer saving due to Rhizobium nitrogen fixation were assessed.MethodsResearch was carried out on broad bean in Portici, province of Naples, southern Italy, based on the factorial combination of two farming systems (open field, greenhouse) and five planting times: 27 September and 11 October, to obtain early production; 25 October, which fell in the usual period for broad bean planting in the province area; and 8 November and 22 November, for late production. For each of these cultivation conditions, the quality of seeds, in terms of protein, fiber and antioxidant concentrations, and of crop residual biomass were determined. In addition, the energy yield as ethanol production from residual biomass and nitrogen fertilizer saving due to Rhizobium atmospheric fixation were assessed.Results and discussionThe highest plant nitrogen uptake was recorded under the fourth planting time in open field and the third in greenhouse, the average accumulation attaining 87% in residual biomass, 7.4% in pods, and 5.6% in seeds. Seed protein content was 12.6% higher in greenhouse than in open field and 16.2% higher under the latest planting time compared to the earliest one. Seed polyphenol concentration was higher in open field than in greenhouse and with the two earliest planting times. Greenhouse grown biomass showed higher values of lignin, hemicellulose and pectin, compared to open field, whereas the opposite trend was for cellulose. Lignin showed a decrease from the first to the last crop cycle, opposite to cellulose, and glucose was the most represented monosaccharide. Both the highest theoretical ethanol and overall energy production were highest with the fourth planting time.ConclusionsGreenhouse management enabled broad bean plants to accumulate higher proteins in seeds, but open field conditions resulted in better residual biomass quality for ethanol and Rhizobium-depending energy production.

From Hernádszentandrás to BioSzentandrás

Sustainable agriculture is the re-production of resources, which has a positive impact on the natural environment, assists in the survival of rural communities, and improves the quality of life through food production. The job opportunities can also positively influence the population retention of the communities. The study seeks to answer why a farming community in a traditionally agricultural area may have to re-learn the foundations of crop production on a social agricultural farm created by the local government. In this case study based on my fieldwork, I present the operation of an organic farm established with the help of external resources and specialists as a sustainable agricultural model, its effect on community life, and briefly referring to food culture and lifestyle changes that occurred in Hungary in the second half of the 20th century.

Virtual Plants Need Water Too: Functional-Structural Root System Models in the Context of Drought Tolerance Breeding.

Developing a sustainable agricultural model is one of the great challenges of the coming years. The agricultural practices inherited from the Green Revolution of the 1960s show their limits today, and new paradigms need to be explored to counter rising issues such as the multiplication of climate-change related drought episodes. Two such new paradigms are the use of functional-structural plant models to complement and rationalize breeding approaches and a renewed focus on root systems as untapped sources of plant amelioration. Since the late 1980s, numerous functional and structural models of root systems were developed and used to investigate the properties of root systems in soil or lab-conditions. In this review, we focus on the conception and use of such root models in the broader context of research on root-driven drought tolerance, on the basis of root system architecture (RSA) phenotyping. Such models result from the integration of architectural, physiological and environmental data. Here, we consider the different phenotyping techniques allowing for root architectural and physiological study and their limits. We discuss how QTL and breeding studies support the manipulation of RSA as a way to improve drought resistance. We then go over the integration of the generated data within architectural models, how those architectural models can be coupled with functional hydraulic models, and how functional parameters can be measured to feed those models. We then consider the assessment and validation of those hydraulic models through confrontation of simulations to experimentations. Finally, we discuss the up and coming challenges facing root systems functional-structural modeling approaches in the context of breeding.

A sustainable agricultural development assessment method and a case study in China based on euclidean distance theory

Based on the standardized Euclidean distance method, an evaluation theory for sustainable agricultural development was constructed, which includes a sustainable agricultural development model, an evaluation function model, a sustainable agricultural development exponent (SADE), a rank of the sustainable agricultural development, an index frame of the sustainable agricultural development, a goal system, and a zero system. Data from Zhenyuan County of Gansu province (ZYC) between 2000 and 2012 was used as a case study of the theory. The SADE of ZYC was [0.34, 0.90], and the agriculture system exhibited low sustainability from 2000 to 2003, mid sustainability from 2004 to 2007, and high sustainability from 2008 to 2012. The results explained the actual ZYC situation, and showed that the Euclidean distance method of sustainable agricultural development is feasible. The innovativeness and merits of the method include: (1) reliable methodology, (2) construction using goal and zero systems, which serve as reference systems of sustainable agricultural development and allow control of the evaluation, and (3) index weights embedded in the evaluation function, which prevents errors or mistakes in the expert scoring method and prevents the reassignment of index weights due to adding or subtracting indicators. The main reasons that the SADE increased in ZYC include suitable chemical fertilization and pesticide application, enhancement of conservation farming areas, soil testing and fertilizer-formulated areas, and drinking water security in rural and non-disaster crop areas. The main problems with increasing the SADE in ZYC include straw application and low farmer income, both of which should be increased.

Below‐ground connections underlying above‐ground food production: a framework for optimising ecological connections in the rhizosphere

Summary Healthy soils that contain an active microbiome and food web are critical to sustainably produce food for a growing global human population. Many studies have focussed on the role of microbial species diversity and the presence of key functional groups as important controls on the many functions that a sustainable food system relies on. Here, we synthesise recent ecological empirical evidence and theory to propose that the interactions between organisms in the soil food web are the critical determinant of soil function. We propose the Rhizosphere Interactions for Sustainable Agriculture Model, in which crop roots recruit small, modular, highly connected soil rhizosphere networks from large, static, relatively unconnected and diverse bulk soil networks. We argue that conventional agricultural management disrupts the connections between rhizosphere and bulk soil networks. Synthesis. We identify future research directions for optimising ecological connections between roots and rhizosphere microbial and faunal networks, and between rhizosphere networks and bulk soil networks in agricultural production systems. Knowledge on these connections can be applied in agricultural systems to sustainability produce food for a growing global population.

Models of sustainable agriculture and their implementation in Nigeria: the role of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Abstract Over the past five decades in Nigeria, the country's economy has dwindled due to poor adherence to agricultural policies, models and inconsistency to the approach that will lead to desirable and sustained agricultural growth. Meanwhile, the picture of budgetary allocations and actual expenditures for the period covered showed that though the government put up ambitious policies, their financial commitment and considerations have been inadequate. Diversified and focused changes have to be implemented in all ramifications in order to attain and sustain a suitable agricultural sphere. Hence, there is the need to renew models and policies on the ground to suit the current situation. Agricultural models are the blueprints for attaining sustainability in agriculture. However, these models should be flexible enough to incorporate changes (modification) where the need arises, in the course of implementation, monitoring or evaluating the outcome in a designated intervention. Most of the models discussed in this study are designed or modified to suit Nigeria or African continent at large, since our agricultural system is still in the developmental state, which makes them suitable for adoption. Basically, one of the main hurdles that will be encountered is resistance to change. The role of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is crucial in attaining a sustainable agricultural system which is categorically stated in this study.

ATRIBUTOS EDÁFICOS E RESISTÊNCIA A PENETRAÇÃO EM ÁREAS DE SISTEMAS AGROFLORESTAIS NO SUDOESTE AMAZÔNICO

Os sistemas agroflorestais (SAFs) têm sido propostos para aliar a preservação das florestas a modelos agrícolas sustentáveis. O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar atributos edáficos e correlacioná-los com a resistência mecânica do solo à penetração (RMSP) de três classes de solo na Amazônia Ocidental, em áreas de SAFs do projeto Reflorestamento Econômico Consorciado e Adensado (RECA), em Rondônia. Foram selecionadas 14 áreas de SAF com 20 anos de implantação e composição, estrutura e espaçamento entre árvores semelhantes, além de duas áreas de referência, com cobertura de mata e pastagem. Além das avaliações de atributos dos solos, foram realizados testes para medir a RMSP e determinado o estoque de C no solo até um metro. Os perfis de solo foram classificados como Latossolos, Argissolos e Cambissolos, todos com argila de baixa atividade e reduzidos estoques de nutrientes, caráter distrófico e às vezes alumínico. Nas áreas de SAF, os valores de RMSP variaram de 0,96 a 4,59 MPa, sem restrições ao sistema radicular em superfície, porém, aumentando em profundidade. Em geral, os Latossolos mostraram menores valores de RMSP que os Cambissolos e Argissolos, e os valores mais altos ocorreram na área de referência com pastagem. Os estoques de C variaram de 45,19 a 126,04 Mg C ha-1, e metade das áreas de SAF apresentaram valores próximos ou até superiores aos da área de mata. A análise de componentes principais mostrou uma distinção entre os Cambissolos e as demais classes de solos. Os principais atributos que diferenciaram as áreas foram o teor de Al, pH e a granulometria.

Coastal interdune agroecosystems in the Mediterranean: a case study of the Andalusian navazo

ABSTRACTThis study focuses on a type of traditional agricultural ecosystem found in southern Spain, called the navazo, which is the product of agricultural activity carried out in coastal interdune systems. We found examples of similar agroecosystems in different Mediterranean regions, such as the masseira in Portugal and the mawasi in the Middle East. The navazo system of farming has been used throughout southwestern Spain for centuries and particularly at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River, the subregion that is the focus of our study. It is an ingenious system in which interconnected cultivated areas are established between dunes. Crops are planted in areas where the water table is close to the surface, meaning water is supplied by capillary action and tidal forces. The energy efficiency of this system and the way it is integrated into the natural environment makes it an interesting example of an inherited agroecosystem and a sustainable agriculture model. Since the continued use of the navazo is threatened by agricultural intensification and urban development pressures, this work aims to characterize this endangered agroecosystem. This study also seeks to preserve related local biocultural knowledge, and to better understand the system’s sustainability.

Transcriptome pathways in leaf and root of grapevine genotypes with contrasting drought tolerance

Most of the world’s wine-producing regions are subjected to seasonal drought,and,in the light of the dramatic climate-change events occurring in recent years, the selection of resistant rootstocks is becoming a crucial factor for the development of sustainable agricultural models to ensure optimal grape berry development and ripening. In this study, roots and leaves of 101.14 (drought-susceptible) and M4 (drought-tolerant) rootstocks were sampled in progressive drought and mRNA-seq profiles were evaluated. Physiological characterization indicated that only M4 was able to maintain high leaf transpiration and net assimilation rates under severe stress conditions. Statistical analyses, carried out on mRNA-seq data, highlighted that “treatment” (water stress) and “genotype” (rootstock-genotype) seem to be the main variables explaining differential gene expression in roots and leaves tissues, respectively. Upon water-stress, roots and leaves of the tolerant genotype M4 exhibit a higher induction of stilbenes (i.e., STS) and flavonoids (e.g., CHS, F3H, FLS) biosynthetic genes. Moreover, the higher expression of STS genes in M4 is coupled with an up-regulation of WRKYs transcription factors. STS genes promoter regions, extracted from whole genome of M4 and 101.14, highlighted a higher number of WBOX cis elements (binding site for WRKYs) in the tolerant genotype.

Civil society organizations for sustainable agriculture: negotiating power relations for pro-poor development in India

ABSTRACTThe promotion of sustainable agriculture is a focal point for many civil society organizations (CSOs) in India, including both development NGOs and grassroots organizations. In this article, I draw on three case studies of CSOs promoting sustainable agriculture in India, in order to evaluate their potential to address contemporary agrarian issues in a pro-poor manner. I argue that, whatever the technical merits of sustainable farming systems may be, CSOs are constrained in their ability to implement these systems in a manner that directly meets the needs of the rural poor. This is largely because, in order to achieve their goals, sustainable agriculture organizations usually must forge relations with at least five separate entities: the state, donor organizations, activist networks, rural elites and the rural poor. Strategic decisions must be made regarding which of these entities are prioritized and, for a variety of reasons, the leaders of sustainable agriculture organizations often prioritize relations with powerful actors rather than the rural poor. This is a major barrier to the development of models of sustainable agriculture that may address the needs of rural communities in the context of the contemporary agrarian crisis.

11. Traditional Knowledge and Modern Agriculture

As part of our studies in ENSC 315 “Global Food Securities” we are conducting research upon the topic of how traditional ecological and agricultural knowledge and practices can inform and shape sustainable modern agricultural (crop and livestock) strategies in the context of increasing global food demand and decreasing agricultural resource availability. We are using “Traditional Knowledge” as an umbrella term that encompasses agricultural practices spanning from ancient aboriginal knowledge to just before the baby-boomer-incited spike in global food demand. Through rigorous literature review of primary and secondary documents, we are exploring practical traditional knowledge and ecological paradigms and applying them to modern agricultural operation models. We aim to highlight the difficulties that arise in striving for a traditional knowledge-informed sustainable agricultural model, but also to emphasize the benefits this traditional knowledge can provide in the ongoing global food crisis. Through our research, we ultimately hope to explore a workable solution to the over-exploitive agricultural practices of the modern world that is informed by traditional ecological/agricultural knowledge and ecocentric paradigms.

Different farming styles behind the homogenous soy production in southern Brazil

Soy is often perceived as a typical example of a homogenous capitalist agricultural model that is responsible for ecological damage and social conflicts. But this monolithic perception of soy production can be challenged: more than 30 percent of the soy producers in Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) are family farmers. In this contribution, we study soy production, the soy producers and their institutional environment from an actor-oriented perspective. We have uncovered different farming styles behind soy production: the colonial farmer, the niche farmer and the entrepreneurial farmer. The farming styles differ from each other not only in the farming system, but also in attitudes (for example, towards the forest). We found that the institutional environment and the technology are mainly focused on the entrepreneurial farmer. However, also, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) neglect the existence of small-scale soy producers. These results have several repercussions for further analysis of this problematic crop and how it can shift towards a more sustainable agricultural production model as small-scale farmers might produce soy more sustainably.

Contemporary agrarian question and alternative ways to its solution1

Article presents a complex problem of an agrarian question - its causes, consequences and ways of mitigating the negative effects associated with it. Featured, competing models of agricultural development - industrial and sustainable, are characterized. Also the negative effects of excessive industrialization of agricultural production, leading to the failure of this model, are shown. At the same time, as an alternative, authors indicate sustainable agricultural model, engaging in its account economic, social and environmental costs. As an example of the transition from the industrial model to sustainable development model, the EU common agricultural policy has been described, including its future form in the financial perspective 2014-2020.

Health surveillance and agribusiness: the impact of pesticides on health and the environment. Danger ahead!

Pesticides are abundantly used in agribusiness and can be damaging to health and the environment. Society in general and agricultural, environmental and health institutions in particular have a legal and statutory duty to supervise their use. To identify and analyze these actions, interviews were conducted with managers of the municipal offices and union leaders representing the workers and farmers. Managers and rural producers were of the opinion that pesticides are essential to productivity and do not generate any impact on health and the environment. No policies or institutional relations monitoring pesticide use were identified or being considered. Rural workers' unions do not take any political initiatives to benefit the health of the workers themselves, their families and that of society in general. The conclusion draws is the pressing need to develop a model for sustainable agriculture, healthy and free of pesticides and that organized society and responsible institutions must undertake actions that meet the needs of the people who working on the farms or consume the agricultural products harvested there, especially controlling risks and consequences that can and must be avoided.

Linking knowledge and action through mental models of sustainable agriculture.

Linking knowledge to action requires understanding how decision-makers conceptualize sustainability. This paper empirically analyzes farmer "mental models" of sustainability from three winegrape-growing regions of California where local extension programs have focused on sustainable agriculture. The mental models are represented as networks where sustainability concepts are nodes, and links are established when a farmer mentions two concepts in their stated definition of sustainability. The results suggest that winegrape grower mental models of sustainability are hierarchically structured, relatively similar across regions, and strongly linked to participation in extension programs and adoption of sustainable farm practices. We discuss the implications of our findings for the debate over the meaning of sustainability, and the role of local extension programs in managing knowledge systems.

Sustainability indicators for agricultural land use based on GIS spatial modeling in North of Sinai-Egypt

Sustainable agriculture focuses on production that renews resources. Egypt has a lot of sustainability constraints such as salinity and alkalinity, lack of infrastructure and credit utilization. The current study focuses on assessment of sustainability factors for agricultural utilization through integrated biophysical, economic viability and social acceptability in the North Sinai area. Sustainable agricultural spatial model (SASM) was developed using Arc GIS 10 to identify and classify the area, according to sustainability degree of agricultural utilization, where the factors of productivity, security, protection, economic viability, and social acceptability in the different mapping units were assessed. The investigated area is classified into three different classes, I, II, are covered in about 7% of the total area where land management practices are marginally below the threshold for sustainability located in the northern part of the study area, where the sustainability values are ranging between 0.1 and 0.3. The areas characterized as class III do not meet sustainability requirements where the sustainable values <0.1. The current work shows how the decision-makers can increase the land sustainability classes I, II to 10% of the total area by controlling just two factors: social and economic factors.

Changes in soil microbial community structure influenced by agricultural management practices in a mediterranean agro-ecosystem.

Agricultural practices have proven to be unsuitable in many cases, causing considerable reductions in soil quality. Land management practices can provide solutions to this problem and contribute to get a sustainable agriculture model. The main objective of this work was to assess the effect of different agricultural management practices on soil microbial community structure (evaluated as abundance of phospholipid fatty acids, PLFA). Five different treatments were selected, based on the most common practices used by farmers in the study area (eastern Spain): residual herbicides, tillage, tillage with oats and oats straw mulching; these agricultural practices were evaluated against an abandoned land after farming and an adjacent long term wild forest coverage. The results showed a substantial level of differentiation in the microbial community structure, in terms of management practices, which was highly associated with soil organic matter content. Addition of oats straw led to a microbial community structure closer to wild forest coverage soil, associated with increases in organic carbon, microbial biomass and fungal abundances. The microbial community composition of the abandoned agricultural soil was characterised by increases in both fungal abundances and the metabolic quotient (soil respiration per unit of microbial biomass), suggesting an increase in the stability of organic carbon. The ratio of bacteria:fungi was higher in wild forest coverage and land abandoned systems, as well as in the soil treated with oat straw. The most intensively managed soils showed higher abundances of bacteria and actinobacteria. Thus, the application of organic matter, such as oats straw, appears to be a sustainable management practice that enhances organic carbon, microbial biomass and activity and fungal abundances, thereby changing the microbial community structure to one more similar to those observed in soils under wild forest coverage.

Agrobiodiversity for food security, health and income

By the year 2050, agriculture will have to provide the food and nutrition requirements of some 9 billion people. Moreover, to maintain that level of productivity indefinitely it must do so using environmentally sustainable production systems. This task will be profoundly complicated by the effects of climate change, increasing competition for water resources and loss of productive lands. Agricultural production methods will also need to recognize and accommodate ongoing rural to urban migration and address a host of economic, ecological and social concerns about the ‘high inputs/high outputs’ model of present-day industrial agriculture. At the same time, there is a need to confront the unacceptable levels of continuing food and nutrition insecurity, greatest in the emerging economy countries of Africa and Asia where poverty, rapid population growth and climate change present additional challenges and where agriculture is practiced primarily by small-scale farmers. Within this context, we here review science-based evidence arguing that diversification with greater use of highly valuable but presently under-valorised crops and species should be an essential element of any model for sustainable smallholder agriculture. The major points of these development opportunity crops are presented in four sections: agricultural farming systems, health and nutrition, environmental sustainability and prosperity of the populations. For each section, these crops and their associated indigenous knowledge are reported to bring benefits and services when integrated with food systems. In this paper, we conclude that not only a change in policy is needed to influence behaviours and practices but also strong leadership able to synergize the various initiatives and implement an action plan.